Jamie
Kelly and I left our B&B early, took the subway to the waterfront in Lisbon, and walked to the Cathedral. She took my photo below the cathedral and again on the steps. We said our goodbyes and I approached my first pilgrim for a portrait. I say pilgrim because that is what people completing a Camino are called. Establishments along the way welcome pilgrims and stamp their Camino passports, offer special pilgrim menus, and even operate accommodations (public albergues) exclusively for pilgrims. Many other hostels and hotels offer discounted rates to pilgrims.
Rachel
Rachel is from East Glacier National Park, Montana USA. The Camino Frances, completed last year, was her first. She loves not carrying a tent and cooking gear. Unfortunately, she needed to wait for the Cathedral to open at 10 am to get her pilgrim passport. Pilgrims get at least two stamps a day to verify their travels and to fill a valued keepsake.
I waved to Kelly and was on my way at 9:30 am. Painted markers are present but I checked the Wise Pilgrim app regularly to be sure of my route. A few detours were needed but generally all was straight forward to Orient Station.
The Pope is coming to Lisbon for World Youth Day 2023 and a reroute of the Camino past the site is in the works. Unfortunately, the work was not yet complete when I got there. The reroute will follow the river and shorten the total distance. The current route follows a canal that arcs away from the river and passes through a couple smaller neighborhoods.
Bartosz
Bartosz is a university student from Poland, spending his last semester of Engineering in Lisbon. He was out exploring on his bike when we met. I was changing my sweaty socks at a water utility facility to avoid blisters.
There are not many accommodations north of Lisbon to start with and the reroute has caused a couple to close. I stopped at Alverca and hopped a train to Vila Franca de Xira to stay at a hostel. Mette, my hiking partner for the next week, shared a bunk bed in my room. She had the bottom bunk and I had the top.
41.4 km was way too long for my first day.